Chiang Mai, the jewel of Northern Thailand, beckons with its rich history and vibrant present. Let’s continue on a whirlwind Sunday tour that will continue immersing you in Chiang Mai’s real essence.
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A Weekend in Chiang-Mai: Saturday
Photo by Tim Durgan @ Pexels
If you read the first part of this article (see link at the beginning), Saturday in Chiang Mai was a day full of markets, culture, food, Thai northern vibes with its Chinese influences, music and the authentic Chiang Mai atmosphere that probably has surprised you more than expected, mostly if you compare it with other regions of Thailand.
It was a tiring journey, because Chiang Mai is vibrant and full of things to do, but last night, I’m sure that you were a good boy/girl, went to bed early, got a proper rest and now you are ready for an exciting Sunday 😉
There are a lot of places to visit and options for everyone: foodies, culture lovers, shoppers, backpackers, luxurious travellers, local vibes lovers or those who prefer an international atmosphere.
There’s too much to do and time flies. Probably, you need more than two days and this planning requires discipline and lots of energy to go from one place to another in such an extended city, but if you don’t have enough time I’m sure that you will be very satisfied with this planning and you will leave the city with a good taste of North Thailand’s capital, and probably wanting to come back soon.
Time to start. And nothing better, to begin this Sunday proposal with energy, than one of the top dishes of Thai gastronomy, get ready for the classic noodle soup that everyone loves here, and all around the country, the “Khao Soi“.
Khao Soi for breakfast
8.00 am
Have breakfast like a local and enjoy the excellent noodle soup of Northern Thai culture, the amazing Khao soi, a curry soup, with sweet flavour notes, and mildly spiced. There are two versions: chicken and beef, but personally I recommend you to go for the chicken one, and then you also have toppings like green onions and different kinds of veggies to put on top. It’s not especially strong, and there are many good places along Chiang Mai, but personally I recommend you the one linked below, the price is around $2 per bowl and it will give you the power to enjoy with full energy the rest of your morning.
Doi Suthep Mountain Temple
9.00 am
It’s time to go up that mountain that you can see from almost every place in Chiang Mai and conquer the jungle visiting one of the most beautiful temples in North Thailand. Besides the temple, there are a couple of villages, interesting but just for tourists, and two or three nature points to visit in the mountain, with more or less interest, depending on the season.
There’s also a loop to do around the mountain, if you are driving a motorcycle, but you are gonna need at least half a day to complete it.
I don’t recommend you to do it if you are there just for the weekend. If you want to ride the motorbike and make a great route, you can do the Mae Hong Son loop, the Pai route, or even go to Nan province, but we will talk about this with more detail in another article.
Tiger Shop Second hand
12.00 pm
Visiting Doi Suthep mountain will take you time, don’t go too fast and take it easy. Now it’s time to go down again to Chiang Mai and make time for lunch while visiting the store Tiger Shop Second Hand, where you can find all kinds of vintage clothes and accessories from different Asian countries at incredible prices. This place could be a trap for those who love shopping so consider it, if you’re hungry already. It depends on the day but it deserves a visit for vintage lovers.
Vegetarian Thai Lunch or Western quality food (for those missing home flavours)
1.30 pm
Sangwiroon Vegetarian is a small and affordable restaurant that can provide you with a vegetarian lunch for around $2. It’s perfect if you want to eat clean vegetarian food and enjoy the vibes of a real local vegetarian place. In case that you prefer to have an omnivore meal or you feel more hungry, try and go by the Ping River where there are a lot of restaurants and many food options. If you feel homesick and missing western food, personally I recommend Duke’s Ping River. Take into consideration that good western food in Thailand is not as cheap as local food.
Nimman Area
3.00 pm
After lunch, a touch of modernity. Let’s experience the contemporary Asiatic vibes of the Nimman area. There you will have brand new shopping malls, stylish coffee shops, and a lot of places with that chic Korean touch. Normally packed with Chinese tourists, you will feel like you are in a modern Seoul’s neighbourhood depending on which street you walk by. From coffee shops with trendy baristas to many international top modern brands, bakeries, food from everywhere and a lot of galleries that will show you the new contemporaneity trends in Asia, while surrounded by people from all around the globe.
Wat Umong
6. 00 pm
Enjoy the sunset and go back to the ancient times, in one of the oldest temples in North Thailand, with its Burmese style, its caves and set in a garden area. You will feel the ancient voices of the Buddhism Theravada and you will feed the turtles and the big fishes in a lake by the temple surrounded by the monks’ huts. An excellent place to say goodbye to the daylight.
Tha Pae Gate Sunday Market
8.00 pm
There’s nothing better to finish your weekend than a visit to the city social event of the week: the Sunday market, the place where everybody goes to do some shopping, hang around, have a beer, listen to music and stroll around the walls of the old Chiang Mai. An excellent way to finish your weekend while eating delicious street food while listening to street musicians.
Of course, there are thousands of different options to spend your weekend.
As much as habitants or visitors have the city. As I have remarked previously, a weekend is not enough to see in detail, such a wonderful city and we should consider this before planning our trip.
In any case, the route I propose you here is ideal if you want to have a general idea about what Chiang Mai is today: an excellent city, big but comfy, with the charm of the northern people – nice, warm and smiley. A modern city, deeply rooted in its past, that still keeps a lot of hidden gems in every little alley or even just around the next corner.
Hope you enjoy your visit and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments.
Enjoy your trip!
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